Summer lovin’

Sure there was that boy, cute as can be, splashing around and all that jazz. Really, what’s not to love about summer? Oh wait, I know. There’s that inescapable, miserable, sweltering heat. Which frankly I can do without.

Suffice it to say that if my calendar tells me it’s time for fall, I become a bit impatient with the stubborn resurgence of 80 plus degree days. I’ve got certain expectations of my September, and heat isn’t one of them. I’ll tell you who is grooving on this protraction of summer love–my garden. The raspberries are flat out refusing to pack it in this year.

And they are not the only ones. Out on the porch the petunias (or pansies or pandas for all I know. I’m still a bit rusty on the flowering things out there, what with my preoccupation with veggie knowledge and all.) Flower-lovers, share with me. What are these hearty beasts?

Whatever they are, they are tough as nails. After taking a couple of months off during that dry spell (when I forgot to water them, I mean) these lovely ladies re-reared their purple and pink faces. Following the hostile take down recently suffered by the sunflower patch, my plan is to immediately cease all other floral attempts and replace them with Pinky Tuscadero and her friends.

As I begin this bout of whining, Acadia’s birthday is behind me and back to school nights are a thing of the past. It’s time for pumpkin picking (you know, if, like my brother, you’ve got some frisky squash at hand.) It is the time for leaves to yellow and leap and for apples to give themselves up for pie.

And if a perfect pie isn’t your thing, the girls have been munching away at these babies, dipped in honey, shmeared in peanut butter, or warmed with cinnamon sugar. All I’m missing is a steaming mug of spiced cider. Welcome Autumn my old friend.

• Category: Garden
• Tag: apples, fall, raspberries, summer